Tag Archives: business research

11 Networking Turnoffs Entrepreneurs Make

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Many of our clients are making the commitment to network more this year to help get the word out and grow their business.  A quick review of what not to do may help make this year’s networking lead to greater results.

Upstart Business Journal posed this Up Take and question.  The responses that follow are from entrepreneurs regarding their networking experiences.

The UpTake: Networking events are an opportunity to build future relationships, not sell your product and life story. It only takes two to form a healthy business relationship, so don’t waste it by dolling out business cards after saying “hello.”

Question: What’s one common networking mistake or turnoff that you see business owners make? Continue reading →

Slow and Steady

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Which of these scenarios is more likely:

  1. A small business gets a call out of the blue and is offered a huge distribution deal – instantly growing their top line (assuming they can deliver) by 10X what it was before.
  2. A small business focuses on getting the little things right, gets a little better every day, and over the course of 3-5 years grows by 10X. Continue reading →

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions…

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Resolutions, well-intentioned as they may be, don’t have the power that goals do. Goals are resolutions with their shoes on. Goal-setting is a process to bring about change, increase success, live purposefully, and put creativity to work.

The first step is getting clear about what you want to accomplish. Amazing things can happen once you start clarifying. If you’ve never written down your goals, make time to do so soon. Take advantage of the natural energy that comes when embarking on a new year. Continue reading →

It Takes a Village

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Friday the 13th was a very lucky day for the Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI).  Pauline Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle and CBI Steering Committee member, recognized earlier this year that the CBI, as well as the businesses located within the CBI, needed to be easier to find and took the leadership role in the CBI sign project.  Pauline felt the sign should represent a local business so she and CBI Director Holly Hanson met with Cyndy and Bruce Gardner of Homestead Timber Frames and their team who designed, built and led the raising of the timber frame. Continue reading →

GIST – Great Ideas for Starting Things

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Guy Kawasaki likes to start his speeches with a top-ten list based on the topic he is speaking about.  When it comes to the list of most important things an entrepreneur must accomplish, his list has only five. Continue reading →

Fast Pitch Winners Announced!

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The Cumberland Business Incubator’s (CBI) Global Entrepreneurship Week’s final event on November 22nd provided the opportunity for 7 business owners to pitch their business plans to a crowd of family, friends and community leaders. Continue reading →

Incubation Increases Success

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Entrepreneurs have limited time, knowledge and resources.  They need to focus on what matters most to them and what they need to do better than their competitors, but the rest still needs to get done and that’s where incubators can be of great help.  Continue reading →

Where Are You When It Comes to Effort vs. Success?

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Every now and then it’s a good idea to take a step back from your day to day focus and take a look at where you are in terms of the success you’re trying to achieve. For business owners, the definition of Success is very personal, but usually it’s going to be measured by how much money and freedom your business generates for you.

“The road to success runs uphill.”  – Willie Davis

Mr. Davis makes a great point – you can’t achieve long term success without effort.  In a lot of things you do, your success is directly tied to the amount of effort you put into it.  The more effort you put in, the more success you’ll get. Continue reading →

3 Ways to Test How Well You Lead

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I speak with existing business owners every day and one of the things I hear often is that they have a “people problem” and it’s hurting their business…but there are always at least 2 sides to every story. Continue reading →

What Are CBI Bucks??

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fast pitch

CBI Bucks are your voting power at Fast Pitch.

CBI Bucks are only good on Friday November 22 from 5:30pm until the close of
voting at Fast Pitch.

Fast Pitch is part Shark Tank (but only the very best parts of the show) and
part American Idol.  As in Shark Tank, there will be businesses or
would-be businesses making their business pitch. As in American Idol, your vote
counts!  You vote with CBI Bucks. Continue reading →